On The Fly

January 31, 2012

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, speaking about the Pro Bowl, on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee: "I'll be honest with you. I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves." If he were brutally honest after a playoff loss to the Giants, Rodgers would have said the same about his Packers teammates. … Eli Manning took part in Super Bowl Media Day but his brother, Peyton, continued to draw as much interest, telling reporters that a Tuesday throwing session went well, his recovery from neck surgery is going as scheduled and he has no plans to retire. … UFL commissioner, Windsor native Michael Huyghue, announced his resignation. Funny, we thought that league died a long time ago. … Given the circus and borderline freak show it has become, it shouldn't shock you to learn that someone was missing an article of clothing when they arrived at Media Day. Yes, Rob Gronkowski wasn't wearing his protective boot. Look, we have no doubt that he'll play Sunday. But we do wonder if a sprained ankle will limit his production. … What's up with all these injuries in the NBA? (Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd.) Anthony himself has wrist, thumb and ankle injuries. The shortened season was supposed to be good news for, say, the aging Celtics. But now we wonder how many teams will be able to come through a condensed schedule without injuries affecting a playoff run.

The AP reports that a fan handcuffed himself to a goal post during Everton's match against Manchester City. It took police three minutes to cut him loose. Instead, players from both teams should have been allowed to line up from 12 yards and fire soccer balls at this buffoon for three minutes. … Victor Martinez will require a second knee surgery in a few weeks, as the Tigers had feared, and is expected to miss the entire season. The recent addition of Prince Fielder makes this easier to swallow for Tigers fans. … Huge game Wednesday for the unranked UConn men, who are in Washington — where last season's NCAA Tournament journey began — to play No. 14 Georgetown. This Huskies need quality conference victories, and this would certainly count as one. … Remembering that blowup on the sideline several weeks ago, we like what Tom Brady had to say about Patriots offensive coordinator (and soon to be Penn State coach) Bill O'Brien at Media Day. Brady said players call O'Brien "The Teapot." "You know how when the teapot starts to boil they get louder and louder and louder and then, bam, they just explode?" Brady said. "That's my boy, Billy. Hopefully, I don't give him any reason to explode this week."